The tent was so wet with condensation in the morning that it sagged under the weight so I had to make sure that other things inside the tent, especially my down sleeping bag, stayed dry. It was a short ten miles to White Pass through a largely level area, mostly at the 5,000 foot mark, dotted with small lakes and ponds which meant hordes of mosquitoes. I reached Highway 12 early enough that the only movement on the road were some deer crossing the two lanes. Walked about a half mile or more along the shoulder to the Kracker Barrel store, which also serves as the local post office. Reaching for the door, it opened for me and standing there, welcoming me into the store, is Kristen. She and Steve had seen me hobbling up the road and figured for sure that I was a fellow Southbound thru-hiker. When she saw me, a glimmer of recognition flashed in her eyes and she asked, "Haven't I seen you somewhere before?". I reminded them about our brief meeting in Mannning Park and they admitted that they had been wondering what had happened to me. Steve and Kristen had been the ones to convince me to go on the hunt for an ice axe without which I'd never have made it to White Pass. We spent the greater part of the morning and a part of the early afternoon talking and relaxing at the tables inside the store. Kristen related the horrific tale of how she had actually slid down that steep snow slope just beyond Red Pass and saved herself with self arrest using her ice axe. Inside, I was glad it was her and not me. I would have been doomed. While we were talking I was also able to throw in a load of wash, eat some burritos the store sold from their little deli, and get my resupply package that my sister, Tonya, had sent me. They asked me to open it to see what I was eating while on the trail. Granola and powdered milk for breakfast, Clif and Luna nutrition bars for lunch, tortillas with string cheese and sausage or flavoured tuna packets for dinner, peanuts, almonds and assorted candies for energy snacks. Having done the PCT southbound last year, Steve and Kristen knew what it took to be successful and what mistakes to avoid. The first piece of wisdom that Steve gave me was that the successful thru-hiker shouldn't necessarily look at it as a hike but more as an eating contest. Whoever eats the most calories will probably be the one who actually completes the journey or at least finishes in better physical condition. A thru-hiker can easily burn through 5,000 calories a day which, with typical hiker fare, is almost impossible to replace, so gorging at town stops and eating any extra food you can cram down is going to help in the long run. I think at that point I bought an extra burrito. HA! In the course of the conversation we agreed to join forces and hike through the Goat Rocks Wilderness together. I was very happy to have such experienced hiking partners. It removed a load of worry from my mind. They eventually left the Kracker Barrel to get a room at the nearby inn and said I'd be more than welcome to drop by and use the shower. I stayed a bit longer to finish my laundry, organize my things and rest my sore feet. The shower afterwards was nice and relaxing. The warm water massaging some of the tired, tight muscles on my shoulders and back. We chatted a while longer in their room and then set our time of departure for 8:30 the following morning. When I got back to the PCT trailhead the mosquitoes attacked in swarms. You could kill half a dozen with one swat but when you removed your hand there were six more to take their place. In a fit of frenzy I made a mad dash for the pit toilet, opened the door quickly and slammed it shut behind me. A few of the pesky bloodsuckers had followed me in, but at least this provided a respite during which I could put on the bottoms of my zip-on trousers, slip the bug net over my head and then lather any exposed areas of skin with repellant. When fully protected I pitched the tent a short way up and off the trail. I remember what one fellow hiker said, "You know the mosquitoes are bad when they suck the blood out of the other mosquitoes you've just killed." Now that IS voracious!
Steve and Kristen
10 Miles
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